1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to circuit interrupters and, more particularly, to arc fault circuit interrupters. The invention also relates to methods of detecting series arc faults.
2. Background Information
Circuit breakers are used to protect electrical circuitry from damage due to an overcurrent condition, such as an overload condition or a relatively high level short circuit or fault condition. In small circuit breakers, commonly referred to as miniature circuit breakers, used for residential and light commercial applications, such protection is typically provided by a thermal-magnetic trip device. This trip device includes a bimetal, which heats and bends in response to a persistent overcurrent condition. The bimetal, in turn, unlatches a spring powered operating mechanism, which opens the separable contacts of the circuit breaker to interrupt current flow in the protected power system.
An arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a device intended to mitigate the effects of arc faults by functioning to deenergize an electrical circuit when an arc fault is detected. Non-limiting examples of AFCIs include: (1) arc fault circuit breakers; (2) branch/feeder arc fault circuit interrupters, which are intended to be installed at the origin of a branch circuit or feeder, such as a panelboard, and which may provide protection from series arc faults, ground faults and line-to-neutral faults up to the outlet; (3) outlet circuit arc fault circuit interrupters, which are intended to be installed at a branch circuit outlet, such as an outlet box, in order to provide protection of cord sets and power-supply cords connected to it (when provided with receptacle outlets) against the unwanted effects of arcing, and which may provide protection from series arc faults, line-to-ground faults and line-to-neutral faults; (4) cord arc fault circuit interrupters, which are intended to be connected to a receptacle outlet, in order to provide protection to an integral or separate power supply cord; (5) combination arc fault circuit interrupters, which function as either a branch/feeder or an outlet circuit AFCI; and (6) portable arc fault circuit interrupters, which are intended to be connected to a receptacle outlet and provided with one or more outlets.
During sporadic arc fault conditions, the overload capability of a conventional circuit breaker will not function since the root-mean-squared (RMS) value of the fault current is too small to activate the automatic magnetic trip circuit. The addition of electronic arc fault sensing to a circuit breaker can add one of the elements required for sputtering arc fault protection—ideally, the output of an electronic arc fault sensing circuit directly trips and, thus, opens the circuit breaker. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,710,688; 6,542,056; 6,522,509; 6,522,228; 5,691,869; and 5,224,006.
Arc faults can be series or parallel. Examples of a series arc are a broken wire where the ends of the broken wire are close enough to cause arcing, or a relatively poor electrical connection. Parallel arcs occur between conductors of different potential including, for example, a power conductor and a ground. Unlike a parallel arc fault, series arc faults do not usually create an increase in current since the fault is in series with the load. In fact, a series arc fault may result in a slight reduction in load current and not be detected by the normal overload and overcurrent protection of conventional protection devices. Even the parallel arc, which can draw current in excess of normal rated current in a circuit, produces currents which can be sporadic enough to yield RMS values less than that required to produce a thermal trip, or at least delay operation. Effects of the arc voltage and line impedance often prevent the parallel arc from reaching current levels sufficient to actuate the instantaneous trip function.
Known technology for arc fault detection typically utilizes a current signature at the fundamental frequency (e.g., 50 or 60 Hz) and other relatively low frequencies (e.g., below 100 kHz). A problem associated with this technology is that it highly depends on the electric loads that can sometimes generate false arc fault signatures at the fundamental frequency as well as at other relatively low frequencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,596 discloses an arc detector transducer including an electric field sensor sensing the electric field established about a conductor by the occurrence of an electrical arc in the circuit, and a magnetic field sensor sensing the magnetic field established about the conductor by the occurrence of the electrical arc. The sensors detect high frequency signals (preferred bands are from about 1 kHz to about 5 MHz) generated by the arc. A band pass filter having a wide band path from 100 kHz to 1 MHz is employed in order to try to identify a random chaotic pattern generated in response to the electromagnetic field established about the conductor due to the occurrence of the arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,145 discloses the detection of an arc fault by correlating the high frequency signal (10 kHz to 1 GHz) generated by the arc to the system voltage or current wave zero crossing or waveform phase angle. During the time the arc is conducting current, it produces wideband, high-frequency noise. During the time the arc is not conducting current, it produces no noise. The resulting characteristic pattern of high-frequency noise with synchronous gaps is unique to arcing. An algorithm analyzes repetitive patterns in the amplitude of the noise to detect arcing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,829 discloses analyzing current waveforms and broadband noise to determine if arcing is present in electrical conductors. A high current arc is identified as a current waveform that has a combination of changes in current (di/dt) and broadband noise (10 kHz to 100 kHz). A broadband noise detector comprises first and second band-pass filter circuits, which receive the rate of change of current signal from a di/dt sensor. The band passes of these filter circuits are selected at frequency bands which are representative of broadband noise typical of arcing faults. The band-pass frequencies are selected as typically 35 kHz and 70 kHz. Each of the band-pass filter circuits feeds a filtered signal, comprising those components of an input signal from the di/dt sensor which fall within their respective band-pass frequency pass bands, to respective threshold detector circuits to determine if there is an arc fault. Nothing is disclosed regarding complete separation of the two frequency bands.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,110,864 discloses an amplitude-duration relationship for both arcing and non-arcing conditions. In a first zone, which is characterized by relatively short duration events, the events are recognized, discriminated and/or treated as likely representing high frequency noise. In a second, intermediate arc detection zone, those events having at least a predetermined minimum current amplitude are recognized and/or treated as likely representing either an arc fault condition or in-rush condition. In a third zone, which is characterized by relatively long duration events, the events are recognized, discriminated and/or treated as likely representing low-frequency noise and/or AC current.
There is room for improvement in arc fault circuit interrupters.
There is also room for improvement in methods of detecting series arc faults.